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Residents must decide whether to approve a municipal budget that is 11.7 percent higher.

By ANN S. KIM, Staff Writer June 4, 2009

Wells voters will decide on a proposed $16.2 million municipal budget at town meeting on June 13.

Although the proposed budget represents an increase of 11.7 percent over the current $14.5 million, the municipal portion of the property tax rate will go down. Part of this is due to using surplus funds to improve the town's capital improvement plan, a move that increased the total budget without relying on increased tax revenue.

The municipal portion of the property tax rate is expected to be $2.53 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, down from the current rate of $2.59. The total property tax rate – which combines the municipal, school and county portions – is expected to be $8.30 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, up from the current rate of $8.22.

Auditors encouraged the town to improve its capital improvement plan, said Town Manager Jane Duncan. The budget proposes transferring $828,200 from a surplus account.

The largest portion, $290,000, would go to a public works equipment reserve, $128,200 would go to the building improvement reserve, $125,000 would go into the firetruck reserve and another $125,000 would go to the infrastructure reserve. Smaller amounts would be spread over several other accounts.

The town took a hold-the-line approach to the operations portion of the budget, Duncan said. There have been no new hires, and some positions remain unfilled. There have been no layoffs as a result of the budget.

Areas of increase include rising costs of employee benefits and additional money budgeted for fuel, salt and snow removal.

Staff Writer Ann S. Kim can be contacted at 791-6383 or at:

akim@pressherald.com